A variety of Democrats, including former Gov. Bill Ritter and DNC delegate Anthony Graves, paid tribute to outgoing party chair Pat Waak tonight at the annual Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinner.

After the program ended, I had to tease her, asking “So, how does it feel to have your tribute last longer than the keynote speech?”

She laughed. She said Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick asked her if he should cut his speech short and she said no, not a single word. Good thing because folks like former Speaker Terrance Carroll tweeted that it was one of the best JJ speeches in years.

Democrats singled Waak out for her demeanor, and praised her as a party chair who really cared about Democratic ideals, from health care to the environment.

“She didn’t go for low blows or cheap shots,” said Alan Salazar, who was named Democrat of the Year. “She was always straight forward and knowledgeable.”

If Democrats are supposed to be depressed about the outcome of this election, no one told the Denver Democrats, who whooped it up at their annual awards dinner Saturday.

They stressed the importance of reminding voters they inherited a mess from Republicans and it’s taking longer to clean it up than expected. State Sen. Chris Romer said it’s hard to believe voters want to give Republicans back the keys.

“The change we had hoped for has not come fast enough,” said U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, co-host of the event and the featured speaker.

(Republicans argue that under Democrats, the economic crisis has gotten much, much worse, but naturally no one brought that up at the Democratic dinner.)

A group of black Denver residents is backing Jon Goldin-DuBois in a state House race, selecting the white nonprofit adviser over the only black candidate running for the Colorado legislature.

Jon Goldin-DuBois

“This notion that the African-American community lines up behind a particular candidate, well, some of us believe Jon Goldin-DuBois is the best person,” said Wil Alston, a consultant and former spokesman for Gov. Bill Ritter.

He said today he has nothing against Angela Williams, a businesswoman with her own influential support in the black community, including former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb and House Speaker Terrance Carroll, who is term limited.

UPDATED AT 4:39 p.m. to reflect that only one of the Hasans is a registered Republican voter in Colorado according to public records.

Democrats wasted little time today before slamming GOP gubernatorial candidate Scott McInnis given revelations that his water writings contain passages that appear to be copied from the work of a Colorado Supreme Court Justice and were not the “original” works he represented them to be.

House Speaker Terrance Carroll called on McInnis to immediately drop out of the race.

“The Denver Post’s story made it quite clear that Scott McInnis lacks the integrity to hold the office of Governor. It would be difficult for him to create any public trust, which is critical for this position,” said Carroll, D-Denver.

In an interview with the Denver Post editorial board regarding this afternoon’s State of the City Address, McInnis’ potential Democratic opponent, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, was asked for his reaction to the news.

Rep. Frank McNulty showed up in a leisure suit today, all part of April Fool’s Day, Capitol style.

The Highlands Ranch Republican drew plenty of hoots and hollers with his green jacket.

Speaker Terrance Carroll even let lawmakers take off their suit jackets during third-reading votes so he didn’t have to look at it.

Carroll’s name was mysteriously replaced with the nameplate for Minority Leader Mike May, R-Parker. Carroll, D-Denver, joked that’s why he suddenly felt like voting to the right of Atilla the Hun.

Rep. Joel Judd, D-Denver, donned a silly hat and Rep. Mark Waller, R-Colorado Springs, put an Out of Order sign on the men’s restroom. That prompted panicked looks from several of the lawmakers.

And over in the Senate, a fake calendar provided plenty of hilarity with its faux bills and resolutions, including:

SB $1.75 Concerning the repeal of the tax exemption for Mountain Dew and, in connection therewith, establishing a Mountain Dew revolving fund in the Colorado General Assembly and assessing a fee on persons who drink more than 2 cans per day. (Sens. Josh Penry, R-Grand Junction, and John Morse, D-Colorado Springs, are Mountain Dew fiends.)

SR Sssh Concerning the limits on the amount of time senators can speak on third reading and limiting speaking to one tirade, one outrage, and two bits of humorless, er, humorous puffery in each of two 10-minute time periods.

The legislature is not meeting today because of the snow, House Speaker Terrance Carroll said.

Various legislative events have been canceled, including the Colorado Legislative Women’s Caucus’ celebration of “Women in the Legislature Past and Present” that had been scheduled for tonight at the governor’s mansion.

Meanwhile, the governor’s office and other state agencies will open at 10 a.m. today because of the weather.

During morning announcements, Rep. Cherylin Peniston, D-Westminster, came to the mike and remarked to House Speaker Terrance Carroll, “You’re unique, Mr. Speaker, I can’t find anyone to compare you to.”

Joey Bunch has been a reporter for 28 years, including the last 12 at The Denver Post. For various newspapers he has covered the environment, water issues, politics, civil rights, sports and the casino industry.